A Message from The Churchwardens
We would like to thank everyone who has helped and supported us through the vacancy. Your assistance, kind words, prayers and forbearance when things go wrong means a lot to us. So we would like to thank you!
At the moment, we particularly need more volunteers to serve coffees after services in both churches. However there are also many other roles to which your gifts may be suited – church cleaning, welcomers, readers, news sheet delivery to name but a few. St Peter’s particularly needs people to be at the door before services to greet folk and hand out hymn books. If you can help in any way, please speak to one of us.
George, Janet, Sarah, & Sue
Irene Marsden’s Funeral is at 2pm on Tuesday 31 May at Taunton Crematorium, then back to the Salvation Army Hall in Watchet. We continue to hold Clive and Donna and all the family in our prayers.
The Collect
God our redeemer,
you have delivered us from the power of darkness
and brought us into the Kingdom of your Son: grant, that as by his death
he has recalled us to life,
so by his continual presence in us he may raise us to eternal joy;
through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever. Amen
DATE FOR YOUR DIARIES
Sunday 5th June 10.30am at St Decuman’s Civic Service to celebrate HM The Queen's Platinum Jubilee
**** Please note this is at St Decuman'sNOTat The Methodist Church as incorrectly noted in "Watchet Connects" ****
Thursday 21st July 7.00pm at St Peter's Licensing of Revd Mark Phillips
Readings
Acts 16. 9-15
Psalm 67
John 14. 23-29
Civic Service at St Decuman’s
Queen’s Platinum Jubilee
This is advance notice that we will have a Civic Service at St Decuman’s on Sunday 5th June at 10.30am, with the Town Mayor and Councillors in attendance. As it won’t be a communion service, we will have a communion at 9am.
More details to follow.
BENEFICE TEAM INFORMATION
Please contact your churchwardens with enquiries about baptisms, weddings, funerals, etc. and any member of the Benefice team is happy to be contacted with general enquiries, requests for prayers, etc.
Benefice Team:
George Fenech Churchwarden St Peter’s Tel: 01984-633577 email: georgefenech44@gmail.com
Sue Withycombe Churchwarden St Peter’s Tel: 01984-632596 email: withysue10@gmail.com
Sarah Lander Churchwarden St Decuman’s Tel: 07765-881229 email: sclarkelander@gmail.com
Janet Bremner Churchwarden St Decuman’s Tel: 01984-632118 email: janetbremner31@btinternet.com
Donna Marsden Reader Tel: 01984-633707 email: donnamarsden01@yahoo.co.uk
Julie Pelling Reader Tel: 07973-961083 email: julie@nickandju.plus.com
Benefice Website: www.watchetandwillitonbenefice.com
Facebook Pages: www.facebook.com/StPetersChurchWilliton
www.facebook.com/St-Decumans-120766092644415
Our Parish Safeguarding Officersare:
Mrs Sara Hempshall & Mrs Jackie Smith who can be contacted by telephone: 07961-268411 & by email: safeguardingstdecsstpeters@gmail.com
The Sixth Sunday of Easter is sometimes also known as ‘Rogation Sunday’ (Latin rogare – to ask) when the Church prays especially for all who work in agriculture. In country areas, people traditionally process through the fields praying for God’s blessing on the crops and livestock. Today the Church also anticipates the great festival (next Thursday) of our Lord’s Ascension into heaven, having completed his saving work on earth.
CAMEO (Come and Meet Each Other)
CAMEO continues on Thursdays in St Peter’s church, 10am-12pm. Everyone welcome to drop in for coffee and chat. Please speak to George or Sue if you have any questions.
Quantock Foodbank
Please continue to support the Foodbank There are boxes at the back of both Churches for food donations.
quantockfoodbank@gmail.com 07483-815122
Prayers for the Benefice
Each week we join our Baptist friends in praying for a local road or street. This week it is
Mill Lane in Watchet
Orchard Close in Williton
Pray for God’s blessing on those who live there.
Prayers
We are holding in our thoughts and prayers:
Graham Coggins, Shirley Dee, Jane Don, Jenny &
The People of Ukraine.
If you would like to be included on the prayer list, please let Sarah or Sue (or another member of the Benefice team) know.
Plant Stall at St Decuman's after Sunday Services
Last year the plant stall was hugely popular. People brought plants and bought new ones, or swapped with each other, and all the monies raised went into church funds.
So, do bring any surplus plants and money on Sundays until the planting season is over.
Quantock Deanery Prayer Diary - Every day of the month we pray for different people in our Deanery
Watchet & Williton Benefice
22nd Mark Phillips (Vicar designate); Jane Sperring (Methodist), Mike Sherburn (Baptist), Sam Searle (Salvation Army), Vincent Woods (Roman Catholic)
23rd Donna Marsden, Julie Pelling (Readers)
24th Richard Allen, Andrew Tatham (Retired clergy)
25th Danesfield C of E Middle School, Knights Templar C of E & Methodist First School, St Peter’s C of E First School
Chaplaincies
26th The Staff and visitors to Great Wood Camp, Patrick Weld (Chaplain)
27th The employees and contractors at the three Hinkley Point Power Stations (A, B, and C), Ewen Huffman (Chaplain to HPC) and volunteer chaplains
28th The staff and patients of Cannington Health Centre, Quantock Medical Centre (Nether Stowey)
West Somerset Healthcare (Watchet and Williton surgeries), Williton Community Hospital, and the staff and residents of Croft House (Williton)
and The Old Vicarage Care Home (Stockland)
And don’t forget…
Eliza is aiming ro run 100km this month to raise funds for SOS Chai, along with some other members of the team.
If you would like to sponsor her, you can use the just giving link here: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/soschai14
You can keep up to date with Eliza’s progress on the challenge via
her instagram page @elizapfrance
Cream Teas
This year we have decided to do cream teas at St Peter’s throughout the summer rather than all in August.
The dates will be 12 and 26 June, 03 and 17 July and
07 and 21 August.
On 03 July we would like to incorporate a mini fete - more details to follow. If you are able to help on any of these days, please could you let either Liz Payne or myself know.
Thank you, Sara. sara.hempshall@hotmail.co.uk or07427-969892.
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Today’s Worship and Readings
9.15am Parish Communion at St Peter's
10.30am Parish Communion at St Decuman's
(followed by Annual Church Meeting)
Next Sunday 29th May
10.00am Benefice Communtion at St Peter's
No Parish Communion at St Decuman's
Both churches will usually be open every day between 8.30am and 6.00pm (approximately).
Dates for the week ahead:
Monday 23rd May 9.45am Morning Prayer at Holy Cross
Tuesday 24th May 10.00am Little Saints at the Meeting Room, Williton
Wednesday 25th May 10.00am Little Saints at Salvation Army Hall, Watchet
7.00pm Watchet Consort rehearsal at Holy Cross
Thursday 26th May 9.45am Ascension Day service at St Peter’s
10.00am CAMEO at St Peter’s
Saturday 28th May 10.00am Flute Choir rehearsal at Holy Cross
‘MARITIME MAYHEM’ AT THE EAST QUAY, WATCHET
FRIDAY 27TH – SUNDAY 29TH MAY
WHICH FINISHES WITH A DRAMA
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
‘HOLY COW!’
FEATURING A TIME-TRAVELLING ST DECUMAN AND HIS COW
SUNDAY 29 MAY 2022 at 5:30pm
Free-of-Charge
This performance is the finale to Watchet's Maritime Mayhem weekend.
Funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund, the project will also result in new permanent displays to be held at the Boat Museum and at East Quay as well as a series of animated films to keep the stories alive into the future.
HOLY COW! is inspired by the story of St. Decuman, Watchet's now-beloved patron saint, and his cow. Famously, St Decuman travelled from Wales intent on converting the heathens of Watchet... (SPOILER: he wasn't well received and lost his head in the process!).
But this isn’t our story. Our retelling of this local legend sees Decuman and his cow lose each other in the fabled Bristol Triangle, each being propelled on a separate journey through time and Watchet’s rich history. Come see the pirates and poets, landowners and landlubbers, seafarers and shantymen, as our two lost souls work their way through 1,316 years to find each other again.
The Benefice of Watchet and Williton
Sunday 22nd May 2022
THE SIXTH SUNDAY OF EASTER
'Rogation Sunday’